The protagonist (and usually some companions) bravely strike out to unknown lands – either to find or win back some very important object, or to finally reach a meaningful location.

The journey is long, tiring, and littered with every kind of hazard you can imagine.

Of course, the hero faces temptations, obstacles, dangers, and perils along the way (it can’t be too easy, can it?!) But he or she ultimately returns home to tell the tale, usually with riches/reward/new status to show for it.

If you’ve heard of The Hero’s Journey, you’ll recognise this classic narrative arc. (If you haven’t – go to my blog and search Hero’s Journey for an explanation of this fundamental trope.)

Think Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, and – the film that scarred me for life – Watershed Down.

Perhaps the most famous Quest in advertising is Apple’s story – with Bill Gates inventing (rather than finding) a valuable object and overcoming obstacles on his way to success. Aesop’s 2017 Brand Storytelling Survey listed Apple in the number one spot – for the 5th year running.

OK, but how can you use The Quest type stories in your fitness business marketing?

What obstacles and challenges did you battle to bring your vision into reality?

You learned a lot along the way – how can you share these lessons and educate your reader?

How do the values of your brand do good in the world?

Show how your product delivers on its promises to support your clients on their quest towards a better life.

Unlike many consumer brands, you – as a fitpro – are selling something that actually delivers positive results. You’re not selling the idea of something, or the promise of a feeling. You’re selling real, measurable, positive improvements in people’s lives.

What are the most effective stories for your brand? And how can you share them?

Let me know if you need any help with this stuff.

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Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist with 14 years experience in writing content and direct response copy for the fitness industry. Get in touch via Facebook, by sending a message here.

I’ve been talking about storytelling recently – and the most effective “categories” of story for fitness businesses like yours.

Let’s look at another type of story (as identified in Christopher Booker’s 2004 book “Why We Tell Stories“).

Rags To Riches

We can all name several rags to riches stories from fairytales through Disney and beyond. Think Cinderella, Aladdin, Pretty Woman, Forrest Gump, Slumdog Millionaire, and Rocky (yep, him again – I know I mentioned him in the “Overcoming The Monster” post but this is why boxing movies get us so hard in the feels – they are impeccable examples of storytelling).

You know how the R2R story goes. Poor (yet plucky) hero faces incredible challenges despite all the odds being against him. He usually has a loyal sidekick or just one person championing them. Our hero gains something, loses it, then gets it back again – but not until they’ve overcome a situation, learned something important, or become “better” somehow.

There is conflict and drama. The narrative has ups and downs (it would be pretty boring otherwise). The hero always loses something (or someone), or has to leave something behind in order to progress.

So how can you use R2R in your marketing?

Two ways…

1️ For social proof
Client case studies don’t need to be as dramatic as a movie plot, but they do need to show clear progress – with the client overcoming the odds and triumphing in the end. Build the story around contrast: what was life like before, what happened during the journey, and what is life like now? How will your products or services bring “riches” (health, happiness, confidence, fitness) into their life? What are the “rags” they so desperately want to leave behind?

2 Your own story
Intelligent and subtle use of R2R in your own storytelling can really help you connect and resonate with your target market. Do this clumsily, and you’ll come across as cheesy or – worse – insincere. But get it right, and it can create a deep connection which showcases your empathy. Where did you start from? What obstacles did you overcome along the way? What did you learn? How can your story inspire and encourage potential clients who are further back in the process?

Some examples of Rags To Riches in sports and fitness advertising: remember the Nike Golf ad (2016) where Tiger Woods inspired young Rory McIlroy to greatness? Fantastic example – watch it on Youtube to remind yourself.

Or Gatorade’s ‘Rise Up’, ‘Greatness is Taken’, and ‘The Secret to Victory’ campaigns: “Every athlete loses. It’s part of the game. But what separates the good from the great is how they bounce back.”

Want to know HOW to use stories like these in your own business content marketing? Just get in touch – happy to help!

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist with 14 years experience in writing content and direct response copy for the fitness industry. Get in touch via Facebook, by sending a message here.

You already know that your content needs to engage people on an emotional level – and that doesn’t mean steering clear of negative emotions. Yes, joy, wonder, and curiosity are valuable. But so are fear, frustration, and disappointment.

In my previous post, I talked about “types” of story you can use in your copy.

It’s widely accepted (thanks to Christopher Booker’s 2004 book “Why We Tell Stories“) that every story ever told falls into one of seven categories: Comedy, Tragedy, Voyage and Return, Rebirth, Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches and The Quest. Fun fact: he worked on the book for over 30 years.

The book looks at why humans are psychologically programmed to imagine stories this way – and why we react so strongly to them.

I want to talk to you about three of them – the three I think are most useful for fitness businesses and brands.

Up first – “Overcoming The Monster”

What barrier is your reader facing? What stands in the way of where they are, and where they want to be (or what they know, and what they want to know)?

And how can you provide the solution – get them from A-B?

Your client is the underdog of this story – and they need to “win”. Your job is to make them the hero.

In OCM stories, our hero sets out to challenge and destroy an antagonist. It can be an individual or a force, but it’s usually bigger or seemingly greater than them, and it threatens him/her, the family, the community, or the entire future.

It will take a lot of courage and strength for the protagonist to Overcome The Monster – they will often face difficult choices, decisions, losses, and will experience painful growth along the way.

= For your purposes, the “monster” is unlikely to be a physical creature looming into town. It’s going to be your client’s fears, anxieties, biggest dread, self-doubt, self-sabotage, or perhaps the words of someone who has told them not to bother, or that they will never be sporty or that “everyone in this family is fat” =

>> Some examples to Overcoming The Monster in fitness advertising: Under Armour’s “I Will What I Want” campaign…. and pretty much anything Nike has ever done since they created the “Just Do It” call to arms in 1988.

There are five stages to an OTM type story – and you can use these to structure your copy…

1. Anticipation and Call
What is the monster? Why does it seem powerful? What type of threat does it pose? This is where your hero needs to accept the challenge.
.2. Dream
Your hero prepares to battle whilst they are still some distance away (think about all those training montages set to music!)
.3. Frustration
The monster shows itself, and its power is revealed. Has our hero bitten off more than they can chew? It all hangs in the balance.
.4. Nightmare
The battle is on. At first, our hero seems to be getting crushed by the monster. It looks bleak. But there’s no giving up. It looks like it’s all over for the hero…. but hang on, what’s this? The battle is about to take a turn.
.5. Escape from Death, and Death of the Monster.
Hooray! Our hero wins (of course). Monster is defeated, hero is victorious, and he/she gets presented with riches or some kind of reward and returns home the conquering hero.

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Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist with 14 years experience in writing content and direct response copy for the fitness industry. Get in touch via Facebook, by sending a message here.

Fitness business owners – have you ever told your audience why you came up with the idea for your business?
Why you do what you do?
Where you were when you had the flash of inspiration: were you alone, or chatting with a friend? Were you outside in nature, or stuck in your office?

If not – why not?

Stories matter.

People DO want to hear the story behind your brand, your business, your flagship product, and your newest service.

Storytelling is one of the oldest and most natural ways for us to share ideas and make sense of the world.

And, these days, consumers care more about the stories behind the businesses they trust.

The more people know about your brand story, the more they will feel invested in you – and loyal to you.

🔻Why Is Storytelling Important?🔻

Emotional connection matters – perhaps even more than customer satisfaction. Clients and consumers will forgive a great deal if they like you.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t (over) deliver excellent products with absolute passion. But if people “know” you – through your story – then you can be human, too.

And emotionally connected customers are more valuable – on a long term basis – than those who are satisfied with your product, but don’t care about you.

Stories can help your audience find common touchpoint – reasons to engage with you. Excuses to reach out without feeling weird about it. If and when they meet you in person, the ice will already have been broken.

( 🐶 That’s one reason I always try to get my dog involved in Skype calls with new or prospective clients – or at least have him in the background. Dog people like dog people!)
➡️In my next post, I’d like to tell you about the three most useful types of stories for fitness businesses to use. Would that be helpful?
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Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist with 14 years experience in writing content and direct response copy for the fitness industry. Get in touch via Facebook, by sending a message here.

…BETTER at writing
…MORE CONFIDENT about posting
…and PAST the annoying procrastination you have about content

All you have to do is commit to posting ONCE per day from 1st-21st December. Yes, we start tomorrow. If you’re in, you’re in! Just get started – I’ll help with the rest.

It can be on FB, Insta, your blog, to your email list… whatever is most relevant to your audience.

This is for you if:

– you’re a fitness professional
– who wants a big push on content in December
– to get ahead of the “New Year rush”

Get in touch on Facebook, or leave a comment here, and I’ll message you with the next steps.

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Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist with 13 years experience in writing content and direct response copy for the fitness industry. Get in touch via Facebook, by sending a message here.

Do you want to bore your readers straight off the page and leave them with absolutely no idea of what life would be like working with you?

Then no, ideally not.

Yes, if you run a business, you do need to tell people about yourself (especially if you are the face of the brand). You might do this on your website, in your social media bios, within sales pages, and as an author bio when you write guest blog posts.

But how much thought do you put into those little “about me” profiles?

“About Me” Is A Marketing Tool Too

Stop thinking of about me/profiles as a footnote and start thinking of them as a key part of your marketing and brand awareness.

It can be challenging to get all the key points into an “about me” section, especially on social media, but that’s good practice. Make your bio sharp and succinct, interesting, and on brand.

9 Things To Remember

If you’re struggling to write an engaging profile/bio/about me section that doesn’t bore people to death, bear these points in mind:

know who you’re talking to. The messaging, tone, and language of your bio should change according to your audience, just like any other bit of copy should.

don’t just include facts and boring info (tip: nobody cares about you, they care about what you can do for them)

make your about me/profile be about the reader. I know, sounds weird. But it needs to be about you in the context of what you do for other people.

share your values, character, and what makes you different. Why should the reader work with you?

tell the story of your professional journey. People love stories, and this is the best way to get all that boring info in without just listing a load of facts.

show how you’ve provided solutions in the past, and how you can help the reader now. This is another creative way of getting those boring facts in, but in story form.

give a sense of what it’s like to work with you. Do this through stories, language, and tone.

For more fitness industry copywriting chat, join me on Facebook– and stay tuned here for the final post in the series.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who has been writing content and direct response copy for the fitness industry since 2004. Get in touch via Facebook, or by sending a message here.

Video content is a really important part of your marketing strategy. You need video on your website, and you might need to use it as part of your sales funnel.

But it’s not all about off-the-cuff Insta lives and Snapchat stories. That kind of spontaneous, selfie-style video content definitely has its place. But we’re talking about video as a marketing tool here, rather than video as consistent content.

You can (and should) use video for

your website home page

as a sales tool

to welcome clients to a member site

to summarise who you are

to showcase your products

…in fact anything that you’d also do in writing.

But just because it’s video, don’t think you shouldn’t write it first.

Videos are valuable. People won’t hang around to watch them if they are boring, clumsy, or take ages to get to the point. Your videos need to be clear, concise, engaging, AND make people take some sort of action. That’s a lot to leave to chance.

So script it.

You can rewrite your video script as many times as you need. There’s no pressure. Take time to get it right.

video sales letters

home page videos

video bios

product videos

Q&A/objection handling videos

Have you got video on your website, members’ area site, or in your product bundles? If not – why not?

For more fitness industry copywriting chat, join me on Facebook – and stay tuned here for the next five posts in this series.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who has been writing content and direct response copy for the fitness industry since 2004. Get in touch via Facebook, by sending a message here.